Grape Creek (Colorado)
{{Short description|Stream in south-central Colorado, US}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox river
| name = Grape Creek
| image = Grape Creek (Colorado).jpg
| image_size = 250px
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| image_caption = The mouth of Grape Creek, at its confluence with the Arkansas River near Cañon City, Colorado
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| source1_location = Custer County, Colorado
| source1_coordinates= {{coord|37|54|31|N|105|28|49|W}}
| source1_coord_ref ={{cite gnis|id= 191866|name=Grape Creek|accessdate= 2020-01-17}}
| mouth_location = Cañon City, Colorado
| mouth_coordinates = {{coord|38|25|51|N|105|16|07|W|display=inline,title}}
| progression = Arkansas River—Mississippi River
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| mouth_elevation = {{convert|5374|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}}
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Grape Creek is a tributary of the Arkansas River that flows through Custer and Fremont counties in South-Central Colorado. The creek drains much of the Wet Mountain Valley, located between the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the Wet Mountains in Custer County.{{cite web |url=https://www.anglerscovey.com/where-to-fish/colorado-small-streams/grape-creek-temple-canyon-park |title=Grape Creek - Temple Canyon Park |author= |date= |website=Angler's Covey |publisher= |access-date=2020-01-17 |quote=}}
Course
The creek rises in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains near Blueberry Mountain. From there, it descends down the east side of the Sangre de Cristos to the Wet Mountain Valley and then flows northwards towards the town of Westcliffe. North of the town, it crosses under Highway 69 and heads northeast, where it is impounded by DeWeese Reservoir.
Leaving the reservoir, the creek flows generally north down a rocky and remote canyon, eventually emptying into the Arkansas River just west of Cañon City.
Public lands
After it leaves the DeWeese Reservoir, the creek passes through a canyon owned by the BLM, which has classified {{convert|16600|acre|m2|abbr=off|sp=us}} of the river canyon as an area of critical environmental concern.{{cite book |last=U.S.Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Royal Gorge Field Office|title=Preliminary evaluation of potential ACECs: Royal Gorge Field Office relevance and importance criteria |url=https://eplanning.blm.gov/epl-front-office/projects/lup/39877/98742/119610/Prelim_Eval_ACECs_RGFO.pdf |location=Cañon City, CO |publisher=United States Bureau of Land Management |pages=33–34 |date=2017 |isbn=}}
The creek also passes through a small portion of the San Isabel National Forest.
Next, the creek passes through two parcels of land ({{convert|1280|acre|m2|abbr=off|sp=us}}) owned by the State of Colorado and managed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. This State Trust Land is located in Fremont County and offers hunting, fishing, and wildlife viewing.{{cite book |last=Colorado Parks and Wildlife|title=2019 Colorado State Recreation Lands |url=https://cpw.state.co.us/Documents/RulesRegs/Brochure/lands.pdf |location=Cañon City, CO |publisher=State of Colorado |page=34 |date=2019 |isbn=}}
Finally, the creek is the centerpiece of the {{convert|600|acre|m2|abbr=off|sp=us|adj=on}} Temple Canyon Park, owned and managed by the city of Cañon City. The park is located near the river's end, before it merges with the Arkansas.{{cite web |url=https://www.canoncity.org/facilities/facility/details/templecanyonpark-12 |title=Temple Canyon Park |author= |date= |website=Cañon City, Colorado |publisher= |access-date=2020-01-17 |quote=}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.canoncity.org/documentcenter/view/695 Temple Canyon Park map]
- [https://cpw.state.co.us/state-trust-lands/grape-creek Grape Creek State Trust Land]
Category:Rivers of Fremont County, Colorado
Category:Rivers of Custer County, Colorado